Autistic Adults in the Workplace: Relationship Between Job Satisfaction, Work Engagement, Camouflaging, and Internalized Stigma

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between autistic camouflaging, internalized stigma, job satisfaction, and work engagement within employed autistic adults.

DESIGN: This quantitative study used a correlational survey design. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling via online survey approved by IRB.

METHOD: Adults who are 18 years or older and are clinically or self diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder completed an online survey which included demographic data and 4 standardized surveys: The Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q); Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI-10); The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES); and The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS).

RESULTS: Fourteen autistic adults in the workforce participated in this study. There is a statistically significant moderate negative correlation between job satisfaction and years of employment (r = -.54, p <.05) as well as a moderate negative correlation between job satisfaction and age (r = -.61, p <.01). In addition, there is strong positive correlation between internalized stigma and years of employment (r =.88, p <.001). Also, there is a moderate positive correlation between internalized stigma and age (r = -.50, p <.05). Data collection and analysis will be concluded in August 2023. Final results will be reported at the AOTA conference.

CONCLUSION: The preliminary results demonstrate that job satisfaction is correlated with years of employment and age of autistic adults. Older autistic adults in the workforce and those with more work experience report lower job satisfaction. In addition, employed autistic adults experienced greater levels of internalized stigma due to increased time of employment along with age.

IMPACT STATEMENT: The results indicate that OTs can target low job satisfaction and internalized stigma in the target population by improving employee health and well-being among autistic adults.

References

Bachmann, C. J., Höfer, J., Kamp-Becker, I., Küpper, C., Poustka, L., Roepke, S., Roessner, V., Stroth, S., Wolff, N., & Hoffmann, F. (2019). Internalised stigma in adults with autism: A German multi-center survey. Psychiatry Research, 276, 94–99.

Cage, E., & Troxell-Whitman, Z. (2019). Understanding the reasons, contexts and costs of camouflaging for autistic adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(5), 1899–1911.

Pfeiffer, B., Brusilovskiy, E., Davidson, A., & Persch, A. (2018). Impact of person-environment fit on job satisfaction for working adults with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 48(1), 49–57.

Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The Measurement of Work Engagement With a Short Questionnaire: A Cross-National Study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471.